Boost ETP Short and leverage exchange-traded products AUM hits $60 billion after build-up of bullish positions
Short and leverage exchange-traded products AUM hits $60 billion after build-up of bullish positions
Assets under management in short and leverage exchange-traded products reached $60 billion at the end of August, according to Boost ETP.
This figure was unchanged from the end of July but up 3 percent on the end of December 2013.
August saw short and leverage investors repositioning bullishly in European equities and bearishly in US equities, commented Viktor Nossek, head of research at Boost ETP.
“Tactical, contrarian-style allocations, underpinned by macro risks surrounding Ukraine and the Middle East have triggered the build-up of bullish positions in markets most affected by the crises, in particular helping to drive flows of short and leverage exchange-traded products tracking German and Russian equities.”
The unwinding of large long positions in US equities in turn is likely a result of the robust showing of US equities, he added.
“With broad and tech equities having attained new highs, it has given short and leverage investors an excuse to position bearishly in August. Germany’s record low bond yields have also brought contrarians to the fore, driving the bearish flows seen in exchange-traded products tracking German debt.”
About Boost
Boost ETP, a WisdomTree Company, is an award winning Exchange Traded Products ETP provider and one of few providers of specialised ETPs in the European market, and is the first to focus on Short and Leveraged ETPs. BOOST’s offering targets sophisticated investors including day traders, stock brokers, wealth managers, high frequency traders and institutional investment managers. Boost is spearheaded by Hector McNeil and Nik Bienkowski who are two veterans of the ETP industry. Both were Managing Partners and major shareholders of ETF Securities (ETFS) and were pivotal in growing ETFS from start-up to $22bn of assets under management by October 2010.
WisdomTree Investments, Inc. is a New York-based exchange-traded fund (”ETF”) sponsor and asset manager. WisdomTree offers ETFs across Equities, Fixed Income, Currency Income and Alternatives asset classes, and is currently the world’s eighth largest ETF issuer. To learn more about parent company WisdomTree Investments, Inc., visit the Investor Relations website.
Boost brings something new to the European market with the aim of adding value to investors. This is in contrast to the broad ’supermarket’ offerings that the majority of ETP Issuers provide today. Boost’s offering targets sophisticated investors including day traders, stock brokers, wealth managers, high frequency traders and institutional investment managers. Our emphasis on thought leadership in the investment management sector will focus significant efforts on educating clients on how to best use the products.
The opportunity to launch one of only a few European independent ETP issuers has arisen from the significant changes currently affecting the ETP world. In a market dominated by large investment banks and diversified financial institutions significant questions are being asked about their respective ETP business models and potential conflicts of interest. Investors and regulators have been looking for more transparency around practices such as stock lending, collateral management and use of in-house hedging techniques.